Recently we’ve had a few families coming in where parents have mentioned how hard break times are at school for their kids. While break time for many kids can be a little nerve inducing, for kids that have sensory problems, slow processing etc it can cause severe anxiety.
For our son, he finds certain social situations confronting. Diagnosed with DCD (developmental coordination disorder), SPD (sensory processing disorder) and ADHD, his stress levels, at lunch especially, would hit an all time high. While still at face to face school, he would visit the office everyday, telling them he was sick. He would sit in the sickbay feeling his head pound and like he was physically ill daily. Unfortunately we did not know this was occurring so frequently.
For him the running of people quickly past him, the different noises around him, the various groups of people and the thought of having to figure out what he should be doing was literally making him ill. At times this would manifest to the point of complete exhaustion where his legs would stop moving, he would just drop. For a child that may be neurodiverse, often they can’t filter everything going on around them like you might be able to. A great video to watch to show this is here https://youtu.be/plPNhooUUuc.
Kids like our son, and even those classed as neurotypical, often need a chance to regulate and calm, especially after the hustle and bustle of the playground. Some schools have adapted their break times to have children play before eating, so they are sitting eating prior to reentering the classroom. Some schools have silent or teacher readings after lunch. We were lucky enough, once our SENCO realised that our son, and a few others required something else to reduce the anxiety and the chance to regulate after lunch. She created a quiet space they could use. It was set up with lights (sensory, not flashing, weighted blankets, a rocking seat and fidget toys. The ability for him to have this space to go to when it got too much certainly helped. Even better, he already had his own space much like his school one at home and the ability to have access at both places helped with his stresses.
Many classrooms are beginning to have quiet areas where children can go and decompress. There are so many great sensory resources available now that can have a positive effect on all children. Accessibility to fidget toys, quiet areas, dark spaces and an understanding that a child sometimes needs a little extra time to calm. Some great resources can be found on www.twinkl.co.nz/ . At Neuro Power we have up their finger mazes and breathing shapes. This is a great resource to have on the wall in a class or at home, children can learn to breathe calmly and access it at any time.
One of the biggest things we have found is the need to keep helping your child to learn when they need a break and how they can calm themselves. Also keeping the teacher and SENCO updated on what is going on with your child and what they react best to.